


Medical

by hawksonfire



Series: MCU Kink Bingo Round 3 2019 [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Bedside Hand-Holding, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Cuddling & Snuggling, Deaf Clint Barton, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt Clint Barton, M/M, Misunderstandings, Not Canon Compliant, POV Clint Barton, Protective Steve, Public Display of Affection, hand-holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 15:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18625738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawksonfire/pseuds/hawksonfire
Summary: 5 times Steve Rogers was affectionate with Clint Barton, plus 1 time Clint Barton was affectionate with Steve Rogers.





	Medical

**Author's Note:**

> Written for MCU Kink Bingo N5 Square - Public Displays of Affection.  
> Also written for Star Spangled Bingo Square O4 - Holding Hands.

**Clint**

~~~(1)~~~

It starts with holding hands. It’s just after a mission and Clint’s exhausted, swaying on his feet. He barely even notices when Steve grabs his hand and leads him towards the medical tent. “‘M fine, Steve,” Clint mumbles, “Don’ need medical.”

“Clint, you might have a concussion,” Steve says, exasperated. “Go to medical. I’ll stay with you until they’re done checking you out, how about that?”

“I’d rather you check me out,” Clint says nonsensically, shooting finger guns in Steve’s direction. Steve snorts. He sits with Clint through the whole check-up, rubbing small circles onto Clint’s hand with his thumb and keeping him distracted with stories about what he used to have to do to get Bucky to medical.

Medical diagnoses Clint with a concussion - “See? Told you!” - and forbids him from sleeping for more than an hour at a time, coffee, and staring at screens. Clint grumbles and groans his way back to the Tower - much to the amusement of his teammates. It’s only once they arrive at the Tower and Steve has to go to debrief does Clint realize that they were still holding hands.

He ignores the swirly feeling in his stomach, choosing to blame it on the thing they just fought.

~~~(2)~~~

After the Hand-Holding Incident, as Clint has dubbed it, Steve is suddenly everywhere. When Clint goes to the gym at three am, there Steve is beating the shit out of a punching bag. When he goes to the kitchen after dinner to get some Lucky Charms, there Steve is drinking water is a stupidly tight shirt with his stupidly big muscles.

Every time Steve sees Clint, he hugs him. It doesn’t matter if they’re just passing each other in the hallway or if they’re making dinner together. The first thing Steve does when he sees the archer is pull him into a warm, tight hug. The first through eighth time it happens, Clint yelps and squirms his way out of the hug.

On the eighth time, he catches a glimpse of Steve’s face as he wiggles his way free and immediately resolves to stay in Steve’s hugs for as long as Steve holds him, just to keep that kicked puppy look off of his face.

After that, the hugs are a lot more frequent. Clint finds himself going out of his way - only sometimes - to cross paths with Steve and get one of his hugs. It gets so bad that Clint finds himself scaling the elevator shaft to make it to the kitchen before Steve has to leave for a meeting - he makes it, but just barely.

Even just the little squeezes send Clint’s heart into a frenzy - he blames that on the fact that Steve gives him no warning before one of his super-hugs.

~~~(3)~~~

After the hugs come the cuddles. Whenever Clint is sitting down, be it on a couch or at the counter, Steve will come up behind him or beside him and wrap his arms around Clint or drape his body over Clint’s back. The first time it happened, Clint nearly faceplanted into his pizza because Steve’s sudden weight wasn’t expected. He caught himself and waved off Steve’s apology, then continued eating his pizza.

On Movie Night (instituted by Tasha, of all people), Clint sits curled up on the armchair. Tasha asks him to get her some hot chocolate, so he does - and ends up making some for the whole team - and when he comes back with six mugs of cocoa, he finds that his armchair has been stolen and the only open seat is beside Steve on the sofa. He shrugs and hands out the cocoa, then plops himself next to Steve and leans into the arm that wraps around his shoulder.

He ends up falling asleep on the sofa, and when he wakes up alone with a blanket tossed over him, he ignores the little voice inside his head that's saying how nice it would’ve been to wake up wrapped in super-soldier warmth.

~~~(4)~~~

Even without his hearing, the skin around his ears is very sensitive. It takes a massive amount of trust from Clint to let anyone near his ears, which is why only Tasha and Phil are allowed to touch, whisper into, or be otherwise close to his ears.

So, it’s really not Clint’s fault when Steve whispers something into his ear and Clint ends up putting him on his ass. He doesn’t remember it, really - just comes back to himself breathing hard with his back pressed against the fridge. Steve’s on the floor, holding his jaw and staring up at Clint with a shocked look on his face.

Tasha’s approaching him now, hands out to indicate that she’s not holding anything in them. Not that Clint trusts that move normally, but he knows she wouldn’t lie to him when he’s like this. Clint jerks away from her touch and books it out of the kitchen, unable to get the look on Steve’s face out of his mind.

It’s not Steve’s fault, really. Clint doesn’t talk about his ears with anyone besides Tasha - except Tony, and that’s only because Tony makes the best hearing aids on the market. So Steve didn’t know how Clint is about his ears.

Clint can’t help but feel like he messed up.

~~~(5)~~~

Steve doesn’t touch him anymore. No more hugs, or cuddles on the couch, or anything. Clint barely even sees him anymore, which he figures is for the best. Steve probably doesn’t want to hang around Clint anymore after he hit him.

Clint didn’t realize how much Steve’s little touches had wormed their way into his life until he’s staring at his coffee mug in shock as Steve walks out of the kitchen without even looking at him. Even after what Clint did, he still expected a hug from Steve - had unconsciously leaned back a little bit to make room for Steve’s arms between his chest and the counter.

And then Steve left the room without even looking at Clint, much less saying anything to him. The shock in his eyes is only visible to Tasha, who’s always been able to read him like a book. He stares at her and starts to say something - he didn’t know what it would be - and then the Assemble alarm went off.

The mission passes in a blur, Clint doing the bare minimum to keep himself and his teammates alive and uninjured. It ends about as well as can be expected with him in that state - as in, ends with Clint falling off a building and just barely catching himself with a grappling arrow in time. He hangs there, firing arrows until his quiver is empty and then he uses his bow like a bat.

When it’s over, Tasha cuts him down and berates him for being careless all the way back to the Quinjet. He only realizes how bad he must look when Steve crouches in front of him and says softly, “Clint, you need to go to medical and let them check you out.”

Clint snorts, reminded of the first time Steve said that to him. A hurt look flashes over Steve’s face but before he can leave, Clint reaches out and grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together. “I’d rather you check me out,” he says softly, watching their fingers. He holds Steve’s hand for the entire trip back to the Tower and through the medical check-up.

When he goes to release it, Steve lets him with no comment. Clint’s heart cracks a little as Steve walks away without looking back, but he holds in the whimper that wants to be free until he hears the elevator doors close. And then he curls into a ball, ignores the doctor trying to shine a light into his eyes, and lets the whimper free. Tears follow.

He eventually cries himself to sleep and when he startles awake an hour later, it’s because Steve is sitting across from him, holding his hand gently. “When you punched me away from you that day in the kitchen, I thought it was my fault. I thought I went too far and that was going to be the end of our friendship. I didn’t know about your ears.” Steve’s head is bowed and he clearly doesn’t know Clint is awake.

“What changed your mind?” Clint asks hoarsely.

Steve’s head snaps up and he stares at Clint. “Nat,” he admits sheepishly, “She cornered me after today’s mission and explained why you reacted the way you did. I want to apologize -”

“Shut up,” Clint interrupts. Steve snaps his mouth shut and goes to pull away his hand, but Clint tightens his hold. “The only people that know about my ears are Tasha, Phil, and Tony. And Tony only knows because he saw my aids one day and told me he could do better. And then he did.”

“Why didn’t you tell the team?”

Clint shrugs. “Didn’t want to be looked at differently. And I know you wouldn’t do that, but years of abuse have beaten it into me that different is bad.”

Steve scoffs. “That’s ridiculous. Everybody’s different. That doesn’t make them - or you - any less valuable to the team. To me.” He leans into Clint’s space and looks him in the eye. “I love different.”

Clint stares at him, wide-eyed. “I don’t - It’s not -” He takes a breath. “I won’t be easy. I have my bad days.”

Steve smirks and tightens his grip on Clint’s hand. “I don’t want easy. I want you.” Clint grins. “Now scoot over, I’m coming in.”

“I don’t think that’s allowed,” Clint says, even as he moves over to give Steve room.

“What are they gonna do,” Steve scoffs, “Tell Captain America to move?”

~~~(+1)~~~

“C’mon Tony, it’s movie night! We’re watching your favourite!” Tasha yells. Tony hurtles through the kitchen and falls onto the armchair, grinning.

“Come on, play the movie already!” He whines.

“We gotta wait for Steve,” Clint insists, sprawled across the couch.

“I’m here,” Steve’s voice says from behind Clint and he twists around, grinning.

“C’mere Steve,” Clint says, waving him over, “I saved you a seat!” Steve smiles at him and takes the seat next to him, dropping his bike helmet on the floor. He sits stiffly at first, but when Clint nudges at his arm, he lifts it hesitantly and relaxes when Clint pulls it over his shoulders and presses himself against Steve’s side.

“Missed you today,” Steve says, pressing a kiss onto the top of Clint’s head.

“I was here,” Clint says, turning his face up to grin at Steve. “Waiting for you to come back to me.” He entwines his fingers with Steve’s and wraps his free hand around Steve’s waist, pulling their bodies closer. The lights dim and the movie starts, but Clint only has eyes for Steve. The shifting lighting of the tv screen gives Steve’s face a soft look, and Clint is suddenly filled with the urge to kiss him. So he does.

Steve makes a surprised noise into his mouth, stiffening. Then the hand that isn’t holding Clint’s comes up and cups his face, and Steve relaxes into Clint’s embrace. After a few seconds, Clint pulls away, cheeks burning.

Steve tips his face up with a finger underneath Clint’s chin and presses a chaste kiss to his lips, smiling softly at him when he pulls away. Clint grins, the burn in his cheeks fading, and he snuggles back into Steve’s side, unable to keep the smile off his face. “This better mean you’re going to start hugging me again, or I’m going to get real upset,” Clint warns.

Steve chuckles and says quietly, “I’m going to be doing a lot more than hugging you in private, but sure. In front of other people, I’ll start hugging you again.”

Clint shivers at the promise in his voice. “I’m good with that,” he says. He squeezes Steve’s hand once more and the answering squeeze makes his stomach swirl. This time, Clint doesn’t blame it on whatever they fought. He blames it on Steve, as he should’ve done from the start.

**Author's Note:**

> I saw Avengers: Endgame tonight and I needed me some fluffy.


End file.
